


Villains Never Change

by SilentMusiic



Series: The Heart of Villainy [1]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), IT (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Angst, Auradon Kid Ben, Auradon Kid Stanley, Auradon Prep (Disney), Falling In Love, Fluff, Internalized Homophobia, Multi, Not-So-Bad Villains, Not-So-Good Heroes, Prince Eddie Kaspbrak, Referenced Child Abuse, Royalty, Villain Kid Beverly, Villain Kid Bill, Villain Kid Mike, Villain Kid Richie, alternate universe - descendants
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:47:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22604956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilentMusiic/pseuds/SilentMusiic
Summary: Eddie’s made up his mind about his first proclamation. He’s going to give these villain kids the chance they deserve.Mike, son of Yzma.Bill, son of Hans.Beverly, daughter of the Queen of Hearts.Richie, son of Mother Gothel.What could possibly go wrong?•aka the IT Descendants AU no one asked for
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Stanley Uris, Eddie Kaspbrak/Myra Kaspbrak, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Series: The Heart of Villainy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1703938
Comments: 63
Kudos: 388





	1. Welcome to Auradon

**Author's Note:**

> Here’s a quick guide to the characters in the AU, the character followed by their Disney parent(s):
> 
> Eddie - Ariel and Eric  
> Stanley - Anna and Kristoff  
> Ben - Quasimodo and Madellaine  
> Myra - Rapunzel and Eugene  
> Richie - Mother Gothel  
> Beverly - Queen of Hearts  
> Bill - Hans  
> Mike - Yzma

“You can’t be serious, Eddie.”

Eddie wouldn’t be king for five days, but of one thing he was certain already, he would give the kids trapped on the Isle of the Lost a chance to live the lives they deserve even if it killed him.

“But I am, Dad, they deserve a chance!”

“They’re villains, darling. Villains never change!”

Eddie was the son of Queen Ariel and King Eric. He was desperately in the closet, and attached to his girlfriend Myra- whom his parents had introduced him to and insisted he would be perfect for- at the hip, despite numerous attempts to reject her. He did everything to please his parents, but if he could convince them to allow him one thing, it would be this.

“You don’t know that! None of us know that! You can’t define people by what their parents did! Plus I already know whose children we should bring over. Just four! As a test run.”

He watched his parents look to each other before his mother responded with a soft “who?”. Eddie couldn’t help his smile.

“Yzma,” 

So far so good.

“Hans of the Southern Isles,”

A slight cringe, but nothing too bad.

“Queen of Hearts,”

He watched his father roll his eyes.

“Mother Gothel.”

And that’s when shit his the fan.

“Mother Gothel?! Are you insane?! Do you know what effect that would have on Rapunzel? On Myra?”

God please don’t remind him of Myra.

“It’s not her. It’s her son. You have no way of knowing what he’ll be like. Please, mom. You fought for dad. I’ll fight to make these kids better. They deserve a chance.”

A pregnant silence filled the air as the pair seemed to have a conversation built solely upon looks. After a beat, they turned to face Eddie again.

“This is your only chance, Eddie. No mistakes.” His father instructed in a stern tone that was rarely heard in his voice.

“No mistakes.”

•••••

Richie prided himself on being the slyest kid in the Isle. 

Sure, you had the gangs and the masterminds, but there was no one better, or in this case, worse, than Richie and his crew. There were four of them. Four of the roughest, toughest villain kids around, all gathered into a tight-knit group that was better to each other than their own parents were. Not that the bar was set too high to begin with. After all, their parents were actual villains, and they were just the miserable children shoved to the Isle with every other actually fun person in the kingdoms when King Eric took the reigns. Either way, the four loved each other. They were all each other had.

Beverly was the daughter of the Queen of Hearts. Beautiful in her own right, and always dressed to impress in looks she crafted from scratch. She had dubbed herself the crew’s resident stylist, saying it was her job to make sure they “acted awful, but looked flawless,” and was Richie’s best friend, a sort of unspoken bond between the two that ran deeper than the one they all shared.

Bill was the son of Hans...of the Southern Isles. You’d think that his father would drop the location at this point since all that was left of any of the kingdoms was Auradon and the Isle, but the group just blamed it on Hans’ nostalgia. Bill’s relationship with his father wasn’t great, and years of belittling from him left Bill with a stutter that was often the subject of ridicule from other villains and even from his father. Never when the group was together, though. They were Bill’s shield, even though Bill needed nothing of the sort.

Mike was the son of Yzma, and after years of dealing with her unmistakable volume problem, had developed a bit of a quiet streak. He spoke his mind when necessary, but preferred observation to participation. He was the true rock of the group, he kept them together. He did what he could, and had been on his own since Yzma whipped up a bad cocktail of potions and turned herself into a beetle six years ago. No one knew where she was or if she was even still alive. 

Then there was Richie. 

Richie was the son of Mother Gothel. Though she was nothing like a mother should be. For as long as Richie had been alive, he had been under his mother’s thumb. When he was younger, she would recount the days of her “youth”. The days before Richie. She’d carefully brush out his wild curls in a practiced sort of way and whisper stories of a wicked girl who wanted her to die. Richie had grown up through the treatment of doing whatever she told him to do, knowing that just beneath her “caring” coos of “darling” and “sweetheart” was a boiling cauldron of rage waiting to overflow.

So the group made a home together.

They made their own escape, their own choices.

The other Isle kids knew not to try anything with the Foul Four, the monicker that the others had created for them, for fear of how they might react. Not even Henry’s gang of secondary villains thought to try their hand at a fight with them. They were rough and tumble, but they were anything but invincible. Their comfort came with secret safe houses with hidden entrances and three friends always close by. Their comfort went with three parents and four letters with four royal seals.

“Oh Bevvy! Can you just imagine the kind of man you could find in Auradon? A prince! My darling, you could bring my...our titles back to us!” The Queen squawked to her daughter as she held her close, paying no mind to the obvious distaste in her daughter’s expression.

“William. You are going to go to Auradon, and you will bring honor to the kingdom of the Southern Isles.”

“The S-S-Southern Isles d-don’t exist anym-“

“Is that backtalk?” The room ironically chilled under Hans’ tone, and all of them could see the way that Bill immediately straightened up.

“N-No, sir.”

“Richard, come with me.” Gothel called, pulling Richie by the forearm away from where he was talking with Mike about the trip. Gothel put on her fake, sickeningly sweet smile, and led him out to the only balcony in the whole Isle. Seriously, the only one. Or at least, the only stable one. His mother liked high places.

“Now, darling, you understand just where you’re going, correct?”

“You mean stuffy old Aurad-“

“That was rhetorical,” his mother sang, patting his head a little too hard as she did, “but yes, Auradon. And in Auradon is...the one thing that I need to become the woman I used to be. The flower. Once I am strong again, I can break free of this place and we,” she stressed the syllable through gritted teeth, “will rule both kingdoms as they were meant to be run. You understand what you must do?”

“Yes mother.” Richie murmured, turning his gaze to the ground.

“Good. I love you, darling.”

“I love you more.” He reassured her automatically, mechanically almost.

“I love you most.” Gothel leaned his head forward slightly to place a kiss on the top of it, an imitation of the same action she used to perform with him as a boy. It felt unnatural now. “Now pack up, sweetheart. You’ve got a kingdom to conquer.”

•••••

Eddie shouldn’t be this nervous about his own idea. Seriously, when did four teenagers scare him so much? He could feel Myra’s hand clasped tightly in his and there was truly nothing he wanted more than to move her to the side and remind her that there was very little stringing them together. 

He tucked that part of himself away as he had been taught.

He let the cheers of the crowd move him onward, and plastered on his best smile.

The stark black of the limo the villain kids were arriving in contrasted completely against the light pastels the kingdom naturally placed themselves in. 

The limo stopped in front of him, and he merely stood as the four teens stepped, or rather, clambered, out of the car, looking around wildly. His voice seemed to act on its own when their manic gazes finally landed on him.

“Welcome to Auradon!”


	2. Richie’s Plan

“Gotta say, your royal scaliness, I expected this place to be less...pink.”

The boy who stepped up to Eddie first was...a character, to say the least. He stuck out a fingerless-gloved hand for Eddie to shake, but he was too caught up in bouncy black curls that brushed against the boy’s shoulders and big brown eyes behind even bigger black frames andsinfully tight ripped black jeans. He quickly reprimanded himself and attempted a recovery as he shook the boy’s hand, raising an eyebrow when he felt his family crest ring being removed and pulling his hand away.

“I don’t think so...uh...”

“Richie.”

“Richie, then. Your friends are?”

Richie took a glance over his shoulder at the three remaining teens, and as Eddie followed his gaze, he tried to ignore the fact that Richie took a lingering, up-and-down look at him before turning to his friends. 

The only girl of the group leaned against the limo, staring at the two on the ground with a smirk. Her hair was cropped into a mass of bright red curls and she was outfitted in a black dress that wrapped around her neck as opposed to having straps and fell to just above her knees. There were little red hearts embroidered around the hem of the skirt. The whole ensemble looked handmade, and was wholly impressive.

There were two boys sprawled out on the ground in front of the girl. One was clearly lankier than the other, with almost perfectly styled hair and a jacket that, although a bit worse for wear, had clear Arendellian inspirations. Like a personalized “fuck you” to his father. Eddie liked him already. The other boy had dark skin, and each component of his outfit was accented with electric blue and violet.

“The name’s Beverly. These two boneheads are Mike,” she motioned to the second boy, “and Bill,” and the first.

“A pleasure. I’m Prince Eddie,” there was a beat before Eddie remembered to introduce the girl beside him, “and this is Myra-“ the blonde shoved herself forward and likely way too far into Richie’s personal space.

“ _Princess_ Myra! Eddie-bear’s girlfriend,” Eddie caught Richie’s rather suspicious-looking gaze as it flickered between him and Myra, “Rapunzel’s daughter!”

Richie snorted.

“Hm...Richie, Gothel’s son.”

Part of Eddie wishes he could’ve seen her face when she heard that. The prince part pushes back the laughter that threatens to slip at the thought.

“Oh...well...I _totally_ forgive your mother for trapping my mom in a tower for eighteen years.” Myra responded. Eddie could hear the sarcasm dripping from her voice and repressed a shudder at the tone.

“And I _totally_ forgive your grandparents for selfishly taking the only thing in the kingdom that was keeping my mother alive.” Richie retorted quickly, and holy shit that shouldn’t have sounded as hot as...he’s a villain kid. Calm yourself, Eddie.

The two exchanged a cruel laugh before Myra made some excuse about the two of them having to leave, and Eddie left with her like a good boyfriend. The best he could do was call over his shoulder to the villain kids that Stanley would show them around. 

Part of him ached to stay.

Another part of him was trained to obey.

•••••

Richie watched that preppy little princess saunter away with her arm around the prince’s waist like she owned him, and man, did that make him want to throw up.

He’d be lying if he said he didn’t totally check out ol’ princey himself a couple of times in their short introduction. The guy was hot, sue him! Plus he totally didn’t buy the happy couple act. No one is actually that picture perfect. 

Now they were being left in the hands of this Stanley kid and-

And Bill was making heart eyes at him.

_ Great. _

“Earth to Billy Boy!” Richie snapped his fingers in front of his friend’s face, watching the boy jolt back to life and turn crimson under the sudden attention. Stanley smiled at Bill with a matching blush, and he motioned for them to follow him. 

Stanley seemed like a relatively average teen. He had a mop of light brown curls on his head and dark eyes. For some unknown reason he was dressed to the nines and as far as Richie could tell at the moment it was only noon.

Dear god please don’t let there be uniforms.

Stanley, Stan as he preferred to be called, led them through Auradon Prep in relative peace until Bill managed to trip over...something and Stan whipped around in time to magic up a pile of snow where he was going to land.

All five of them stopped dead in their tracks, with Stan huffing slightly as he caught his breath from the quick actions.

“You ok, Bill?” Stan asked softly, finally moving to help the boy stand and letting his hand stay wrapped tightly around Bill’s for just a bit longer than necessary. 

“I’m fine, thank you, Stan.” Good god they were staring again.

“So, Stan the Man, who do you have to be related to for powers like those?” Richie questioned, looking around the room at the decorations that would have had no place in the houses of the Isle.

“Oh, they’re most likely from my aunt, she’s pretty well known for her uh...ice.”

“Ice powers? Powerful aunt? Say, Stan, you wouldn’t happen to be Anna and Kristoff’s son, would you?” Beverly asked, sliding up to stand next to Stan for the first time. 

“That’s them.”

And just as soon as Stanley spoke, Bill froze and the group went silent.

“I guess I never did ask who your families were.”

“Gothel.”

“Queen of Hearts.”

“Yzma.”

“Hans.” Bill whispered, drawing the gaze of Stan back to him.

“Hans? As in, of the Southern Isles?”

Bill just nodded. Richie could see them staring at each other with a Romeo-and-Juliet-esque look and God, he thought Bill would be stronger than falling for the first cute boy he met. 

Stan and Bill eventually stopped making bedroom eyes at each other long enough for the tour to continue. He told them about their classes- Remedial Goodness 101?, are you kidding?- showed the crew to the library, the tourney court, more places than Richie would ever actually remember how to get to, and finally, their rooms. 

They had two double rooms at their disposal and Stan told them that they were able to decide who stayed where, as per the prince’s request. Richie had to admit it was...nice to hear that someone in this spiteful place have a shit about their comfort. In the end, Richie and Bev took one room and Mike and Bill took the other across the hall. 

Once they were appropriately settled in and Stan was definitely gone, Richie called Mike and Bill back over to his and Bev’s room, and the four gathered closely together.

“Ok guys. We have a mission here. Gothel needs the Sun Drop Flower and, when combined with it’s power, Fairy Godmother’s wand, to get us out of the Isle for good.” Richie explained, flicking through the small journal his mother had given to him for detailing his plan of attack, “Compliments of our dear Evil Queen,” Richie shuffled through his bag to find the small, compact-size magic mirror that he had snatched from the woman’s boutique, raising it so that the mirror reflected his eyes back at him. “Mirror, mirror, in my hand, show me where the sun drop stands.” 

The silvery material took on a warped appearance as it twisted and turned to show a singular bright, golden sun drop flower flanked by red roses and a sort of purple flower that Richie didn’t recognize. He whispered for the mirror to show the location of the flowers, and the vision of his goal turned to a single plaque which read “Royal Garden”.

“The garden? How the hell are you gonna get there?” Beverly questioned aloud, looking over at her friend in a way that read ‘you’d better have a plan’.

“That’s the simple part, Bev, all I gotta do is catch myself a prince.” 

•••••

There was truly nothing more excruciatingly boring than the classes the four were forced to take at Auradon Prep. 

Madellaine was a good enough teacher, having once been a “bad guy” herself. Richie didn’t dare admit or show it, but the idea of executing this “perfect plan” for his mother was unsettling to say the least. So for now, he could pretend. 

He could pretend he was going to stay here forever.

He could pretend that he wasn’t going to betray every person who had shown him kindness thus far.

He could pretend the idea of using the prince to get the flower didn’t make him sick.

He could pretend that this place wasn’t already more of a home than the Isle.

The sound of someone entering the makeshift classroom roused Richie from his thoughts, and as his gaze followed the noise, it was met with a boy about their age. He had short blonde hair that still managed to be draped over his eyes and was heavier than average but not overly so. He had a jacket wrapped around him that identified him as an Auradon Prep student and, apparently, a member of the track team. The boy gave off an overall presence of innocence as he approached Madellaine and whispered a few words to her.

Richie leaned to his right to attempt to make a comment to Bev about him, but instead found her gaze locked on the boy and a dreamy look on her face.

“Oh god, not you, too.”

Bev almost instantly corrected herself, ripping her eyes away from the kid and turning to face her best friend.

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh really? So that wasn’t you just staring at him the way Billy stared at ice boy yesterday?”

“Nope.”

Richie rolled his eyes at her just in time to overhear Madellaine finish speaking to the boy.

“I’ll see you at home, Ben. Make sure you tell your dad to be back at a normal time tonight, I’ll never understand him and his bells. Head back to your class, sweetie.” She placed a quick kiss on his forehead which made him blush bright red as he turned back, sparing a glance at Bev which was quickly met with a wink before reddening further and leaving the five to their lesson. Richie could hear Bev’s soft sigh as she watched him leave.

Dear god, if Mike started going soft, too, they were so fucked.


	3. The Garden

There are certain things princes are trained to do.

They’re trained to be proper and poised.

They’re trained to do as their parents say, to follow in their footsteps as to lead properly.

They’re trained to be what they’re supposed to be.

There are certain things princes are trained not to do.

They’re trained not to tell the truth.

They’re trained not to disobey.

They’re trained not to go against their parents or to break hearts.

They’re trained not to fall for villains.

Eddie had been trained to be a king since the day he was born. He was told what to do, what not to do, how to speak, how to dress, how to act. He was told by his parents who he would love and what was best for him.

And yet here he was. Sitting alone outside Auradon Prep and watching Myra’s crying silhouette disappear down the road and into the night.

He had tried so hard to keep curly black hair and confident smirks and warm hands in his out of his mind, and failed spectacularly. He told himself over and over again that princes don’t fall for villains. But Richie wasn’t a villain, he was the son of one. Richie was lively, and fun, and beautiful...Richie was light, even if he was from the Isle. 

And if villain kids were really that bad, why couldn’t Stan and Ben stop talking about Bill’s voice and Beverly’s smile? Why had they too fallen for people that were their opposites? Could it truly be that there were people on the Isle who were better than those in Auradon? This group of kids which had wedged themselves into the hearts of three of the best that Auradon has to offer. These kids, who were blamed for their parents’ mistakes yet had done nothing wrong. Richie-

“Thought you princes didn’t have time to sit down?”

Who was sitting next to him. 

“First time in a while, yeah.”

Richie made a soft sound of agreement, taking a glance in Eddie’s direction and softly bumping their shoulders together as he moved closer.

“Wanna talk about why I watched Blondie run away in tears? I thought you two were the perfect couple?”

The laugh Eddie responded with was dry and mirthless.

“Not perfect, and not a couple anymore either. We’re too different.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry, Eddie.”

Eddie stole a glance at Richie, and felt his breath be stolen by the sight before him. Richie, just as he was, with a halo of moonlight around his wild hair, and a soft smile on his face. 

“There’s...nothing to be sorry for. It was better for us both.”

Eddie didn’t know what came over him but there was...a certain trust that came with Richie. A feeling of safety that Eddie couldn’t explain. He looked down at where their hands were less than an inch apart, and gently moved his hand to lace their fingers together. His gaze rose to meet Richie’s and found the other boy already staring back at him, a dusting of pink on his cheeks. A villain kid had no right to be so...so...adorable.

“Come with me, I want to show you something.” 

•••••

Maybe it was the way his hand felt wrapped around Richie’s, maybe it was the way that Eddie smiled in the moonlight, but Richie let his guard down.

He let his guard down and let the pretty prince get to him and now...

Holy shit.

Now his job just got a lot easier.

“I always loved it in this garden.” 

Richie let himself be pulled through the entrance to the garden, nearly forgetting to sneak a glance around for where the sun drop flower was. 

There it was. The flower. The sun drop. The object he needed to end this whole thing was...right...there.

But Eddie was here. Holding his hand, leading him to a bench that sat...right across from the flower.

“Can I tell you something, Richie?”

Richie quickly found himself only able to focus on the boy beside him, their hands still tightly entwined, and truthfully, Richie intended to keep it that way for as long as he could.

“Of course you can, Eddie.”

“I’m terrified of being king.”

“You’re...why?”

“Chee,” the nickname shouldn’t have set loose the butterflies it did in his stomach, “I look at you, with the other Isle kids, and I see this...leader. A natural leader. You care for them, you stand for them. You lead...That’s not me. I’m not a leader, not a good one at least. I sit in this place, I tend this garden, I make it beautiful, and...and I hope for a way out.”

Eddie wasn’t looking him in the eye when he spoke, and Richie pulled their hands closer to his chest, laying his other hand on top of Eddie’s and waiting until the prince faced him to speak.

“Eddie, look at me. You are the entire reason I’m here, the reason us villain kids have a chance to be better people. You don’t have to be perfect to be a great king. You care enough to keep this place,” Richie motioned around the extensive garden, trying not to let his eye catch on the sun drop, “alive and beautiful. If you care as much with your people as you do here, they will support you. Besides, you won’t be alone. You’ll have your parents and, if this whole program works out...” he squeezed Eddie’s hand gently, “then you’ll have me, too.”

There was something in the way Eddie was looking at him then. There was a small smile on his lips and an indescribable glint in his eyes. 

Then suddenly there was a hand brushing loose strands of hair behind his ear. There was a brief moment of a warm hand on his cheek. 

“That means more than you’ll ever know, thank you.”

Eddie pressed a quick, soft kiss to Richie’s cheek before heading back to the entrance of the garden, and Richie could feel the growing heat in his cheeks at the contact.

“Have a good night, Chee.”

As soon as Eddie was out of earshot, there was only one thing Richie could say.

“I’m so fucked.”


	4. For the First Time in Forever

This was the sixth time in three days that Bill had snuck away from the group to be with Stan. It was almost ridiculous how drawn he had been to the boy from the moment they met, but Bill tried to ignore it in favor of spending time with him. Deep down, he knew all of them were doing the same. 

In two days, who knows when they’d meet again.

So, in Stan’s icy blue-themed dorm, the pair held each other close and pretended that they weren’t in the worst situation in the world.

Stan had long since aired his worries about what his parents would say about Bill, and he could understand why. It wasn’t every day your very heroic parents got the news that you were in love with the son of the man who tried to kill them. 

They had quickly determined that the topic was not one they enjoyed discussing, and Bill had taken to simply laying with Stan now while Stan painted pictures in the air with snowflakes.

Stan had told Bill he loved the way that he warmed him up when they were close enough, the way his warmth broke through the cold that ran through his veins.

Bill liked the way Stan cooled him down, the way he stopped burning for just a little while when he was there.

They balanced each other out, and the thought of losing that balance broke Bill’s heart. It hurt even more to know that when the time came, he’d have to completely betray Stan. And when his father was free? The things he’d make him do sent chills down his spine. If he ever found out about Stan, there would be nothing Bill could do to protect him.

Bill had been absentmindedly spinning one of Stan’s curls around his finger when his world got flipped upside down.

“I think I’m in love with you, Bill.”

Well that felt like a stab in the heart.

“Y-You’re w-w-what?”

Stan flipped to lay against Bill on his stomach, smiling big and bright as he looked up at the other boy, who still had his hands tangled into Stan’s neat curls.

“You don’t have to say it back, and it’s totally an Anna’s son move but, I’ve never felt anything like this for anyone before, Bill. I see you and I’m suddenly unbelievably happy. You laugh and I feel my heart beat out of my chest. You’re...god, Bill, being with you is everything and nothing at the same time. So...yeah, I think I’m in love with you.”

Bill’s hands were trembling. He could see the way the curls between his fingers moved ever so slightly, and he took a steadying breath, hating the way Stan seemed to gradually become more reserved and that sweet, trusting light in his eyes faded.

He didn’t deserve Stan. Stan was innocent, kind, intelligent. Stan was good. Bill was bad. Bill was a villain kid, and not just any villain kid, the child of the man who tried to murder Stan’s family. No, no this didn’t work. It didn’t matter that holding Stan close made his heart flutter. It didn’t matter that seeing him put a smile on his face. It didn’t matter it didn’t matter it didn’t matteritdidn’tmatter-

“Hey, let me into that head of yours. Where’s it at, baby?”

Bill felt like he was choking on his words, he’d go to say something, anything, but either no sound came or he felt what he said wasn’t enough to convey what he was feeling. He pulled in a deep breath and averted his eyes from Stan.

“I don’t deserve your love. I’m a villain and-“

“Ok I’m gonna stop you right there. First of all, you aren’t a villain. You’re a villain kid. Not the same thing. Second, you deserve every good thing this world can give you. The way your father treats you could have been your reason for evil and yet, as much as you deny it, all I see is good. You’re the only one who understands me in everything I do. You know what makes me happy and what annoys me. You hold me and...and the world just...”

“Feels right?”

“Yeah, and look at that, we’re finishing each other’s sentences.” Stan teased, brushing the few stray hairs that had drifted onto Bill’s forehead away.

Bill stared down at the beautiful, perfect boy that had managed to make a home in his life, and knew exactly what to say.

“Stan, for the first time in my life, I think I know what love feels like, and you’ve given that to me.”

The way Stan’s lips felt against his pushed Richie’s plan to the back of his mind.


	5. Heaven’s Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super short chapter that’s more of an interlude but you’ll get more Benverly soon I promise!

“You a such a nerd, Bells!” 

Bev wasn’t used to spending this much time away from the crew, but truthfully, hanging out with Ben was such an amazing time. They were in the old bell tower of Auradon Prep, and Ben was recounting every detail about the large bell that hung above them. 

“I’m serious, this bell is fascinating! It was hand forged and it makes such a gorgeous sound when it’s rung and...” Ben glanced towards Bev only to see a smirk resting on her red painted lips, “and I’m rambling again...I’m sorry, Beverly, this must be really boring to listen to.”

Bev’s smirk fell at how serious Ben seemed to be, the nonchalant attitude she usually wore falling away to lean in and place a hand on Ben’s shoulder gently. 

“Hey, I love hearing you get all excited when you talk, no matter what it’s about. Listen, Ben, we don’t have many people who get truly excited or passionate about things on the Isle. So seeing you smile over the way the design was carved into the bell and ramble on an on about every facet of this admittedly beautiful piece of metal? It’s my favorite thing in the world.”

The sun had crested over Auradon’s horizon five minutes ago. It was why Ben had brought Bev to the tower in the first place. There was nothing better than watching the sunset from the bell tower. But now? With the sun falling behind the mountains and the light making Bev’s hair look like someone had set it ablaze and that smile he had only seen her give the other villain kids? That trusting smile? More beautiful than any sunset. Ben was pushed from his revelry by Bev’s voice, her eyes now focused out to the silhouetted mountains.

“And call me Bev at least, Bells.”

A laugh slipped out of its own volition, and Ben couldn’t bring himself to look away from Beverly- Bev, his mind corrected.

“Whatever you say, Ace.”

No one deserved to sound that sweet when they snorted.

“Ace?”

“Queen of Hearts? Cards?”

“No I get it, just never heard that one before.”

“Oh really? What do you usually get then?”

Bev let out a softer, almost inaudible laugh at that as she stood, throwing a glance over her shoulder to Ben as she reached the staircase back down to the school proper.

“Daughter of the Queen of Hearts? I usually get Heartbreaker.”

And she was gone.

Ben finally understood what his father meant when he said this is what heaven’s light felt like.


	6. Part of Your World

Richie’s biggest annoyance at the moment was just how well his plan was going.

It was starting to hurt to think about betraying Eddie. The thought of freeing his mother and undoubtedly every other villain left a bad taste in his mouth. Picturing Gothel ruling Auradon and the royal family’s inevitable fate made him sick.

Three days ago, Richie was better than this. Three days ago, Richie was sly and crude and cruel. Three days ago, Richie wasn’t...pining over a goddamn prince. 

A prince...Eddie...his sweet Eddie who was so blind to what was happening, who didn’t see that inside Richie was the heart of a villain, and yet still a heart that longed for him. Eddie was everything light in the universe, every smile and laugh a beautiful amalgam of joy and wonder. Eddie saw the best in him when in Richie’s opinion there was no good to see at all. Eddie made him happy. With Eddie, he saw his entire life the way it was; hard and bitter and loveless. Not fun and carefree. Eddie trusted him. 

Eddie was a fool.

There was no good here. Richie was a villain. No longer a villain kid, no, not after this. After this he would be a villain. Join the few sent to the Isle for good reason. Break that sweet, perfect, oblivious heart. Betray the only person to ever...Richie was a villain. 

Through and through.

Even as he held a human embodiment of a ray of sunshine against his chest, his cheek resting on top of the prince’s head. Richie was born to be evil, born to betray with no remorse. Yet if he were born this way, why did the thought feel so wrong?

“Eddie, do you think I can ever really be good?”

Part of him wondered where the words came from, the other part questioned how he could be stupid enough to say something like that.

The way the prince stared up at him with the truest of concern in his eyes and repositioned himself to sit across from Richie on the bed felt like a knife to the heart.

“Chee, why would you ask that? Of course you can be good. Even if you were bad right at this moment you could still be good. In fact, there are Auradon citizens that you’ve shown you’re kinder than. Being from the Isle just means that...”

Eddie reached across tentatively, hesitating slightly before taking Richie’s hand in his. Richie could feel Eddie’s thumb rubbing circles into skin. 

“That you grew up with a million hardships that brought you to this moment. Right here. Right now. With...with me. Being from the Isle made you stronger, Richie. Stronger than any of us can even imagine. You’re amazing, Richie, and I...I lo-“

Why?

Why?!

Why did he do that?!

Eddie’s lips were soft.

God he was so stupid.

He loved the squeak the prince made when they kissed.

This was the dumbest thing he has ever done.

The way Eddie grabbed him when he kissed back was going to be permanently etched into his mind.

This was a mistake.

He could do this forever.

“I’ve been waiting for you to do that since we first met.” And they were back together, and Richie felt his heart light on fire with this small, feisty boy in his arms.

Being with Eddie made him feel like all he’d ever known, all the villainy he was raised with, all the pain he endured, was finally worth it because he had Eddie.

When they came up for air at last, Richie stared down into the other boy’s eyes with the intensity of a gathering storm behind his gaze. For a moment he considered that this could be one of their final good moments together, and if Richie failed, maybe he could at least get Eddie to see that he wasn’t what every villain kid would be. 

“I want to tell you something, Eds, I...I want to tell you about life on the Isle so that you...you can make it better for the other villain kids.”

“Of...of course, Chee, tell me everything.”

Richie settled the prince back against his chest again, holding him a bit tighter now.

“I don’t remember much of when I was a kid. I remember my mother yanking at my hair with that old hairbrush like it was what she was born to do. Like I was born for the express purpose of sitting still and being the stand-in for Rapunzel. She slipped every once in a while, when she really got mad, she’d call me by her name. It stings, knowing you only exist to be a replacement for someone else. I watched Bev and Bill, and even Mike sometimes, before the incident, talk with their parents and have good moments. Queenie loves Bev with all her heart, even Hans cares for Bill at the basest level...we didn’t have that. There was this...disconnect, and she’d say “I love you” like it pained her to say it. Like she was obligated to care, but just couldn’t. Eds she was...she was horrible and when I found out I was coming here...I felt like I was coming home to a place I’d never even been.”

“Richie-“

“Just...Just a little more, I promise. She was horrible...but everyone else was amazing. There’s a kindness that these villains show when they’re all together and no one’s threatening them. I saw it in the way Queenie taught Bev to style her hair and Yzma encouraging Mike to speak up and stand up for himself. They cared, Eds. These villains, they cared about their kids, and these kids? They’ve done nothing. All they’ve done is be raised by the people that have done bad things. That doesn’t make them bad. I just want you to promise me that...whatever happens, you’ll remember that there is good in the isle of the bad.”

“Chee...I’m so sorry all of that has happened to you, and I promise,” Eddie repositioned himself to take both of Richie’s hands in his, “that I can see every bit of good the Isle holds. I will help the kids left on the Isle by whatever means necessary. They deserve a chance, just as you did.”

Richie couldn’t fight his smile, but he couldn’t fight the tears either. What was he doing, risking the life of his boy to follow the path of his mother? Why risk the lives Bev and Bill were making here? Why forgo this feeling...this feeling that felt almost like...oh.

“Eddie, I lov-“

“Well isn’t this just such an adorable moment?”

The pair stared forward at the new figure that had intruded into their moment.

No. 

Please no.

Not her.

Not now.

“Hello, sweetheart, did you miss your Mummy?”


	7. The Dead Prince

Gothel was here. Really here. Right now. He felt his breaths getting shorter and suddenly someone was pushing him back.

“Oh this is too precious! Richie, darling, I thought I raised you better than to chase the tail of...well, royal scum.”

Eddie was standing in front of Richie, putting as much distance between him and Gothel as possible.

“Don’t you dare take another step closer, Gothel. How did you get here?”

The laugh Gothel let out chilled Richie to the core.

“You’re very brave for a prince. Didn’t they teach you not to touch the other boys, Edward? Step away from my son.”

Eddie simply shook his head, the look shared between him and Gothel filling the room with dark intensity.

“How did you get here? I won’t ask again.”

“Ah well, I just listened for the sound of complete and utter betrayal and followed that. In all honesty, I’ve been here for a while now, as a...disgusting little creature, it just so happens that now was the first time Yzma was able to slip the transformation reversion potion to me.”

The room was spinning. Richie was getting dizzy.

“Good to know there’s more than one of you. Securi-“

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You’re stuck in a room of villains. It’s two against one, princey.”

“You’re right, mother,” Richie finally spoke up, regaining his breath and standing behind Eddie as menacingly as he could muster, “it is two against one...”

“Oh! I’m so glad you’re back on my side! Now go do what you came here to do and get that flower!”

“But you’re the one on your own.” Richie felt for the base of his dagger sticking out of his pocket, and pointed it towards the woman who raised him. He could hear Gothel sigh at his actions, and watched her pull a purple capsule from the bag hanging at her side.

“Compliments of our old friend Maleficent.” She said to Richie before throwing the capsule to the ground and disappearing in the smoke it created. In the blinding purple, he felt the pressure of arms wrapping around his waist. He held on tightly, gaze flickering around until the smoke was gone. Eddie was in his arms with his eyes shut tight.

“Eds, it’s ok, she’s gone.”

When the warm gaze he had become accustomed to met his own, he pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“We have to inform security that she’s here. They need to be on the lookout for her and Yzma, there’s no telling what she’ll do she...she’s one of greatest threats.”

“Why, Eddie? What has she done that I don’t know?”

Eddie looked up at him, a sigh escaping his lips as he took Richie’s hand in his own.

“Let me show you.”

The two journeyed through the former castle’s corridors, stopping only to give a report to the head of security, who immediately sprung into action and set about heightening security measures. Eventually, Eddie stopped them in a room that held no less than a dozen paintings on its walls, the room itself seemingly unused. They passed by portraits of all of the royal families, including one specific portrait which contained an adorable depiction of baby Eddie which Richie had to refrain from making comments on.

The last painting in the hall had a tarp covering it. Eddie pulled the cloth away from the painting and revealed a small family of three with one unmistakable feature identifying the family.

“Rapunzel? I know about what Gothel did to her, Eds, is this why-“

“No. It’s not her, it’s the child.”

Richie noticed it now, swaddled in a pale blue blanket and wrapped in the loving embrace of their parents’ arms was a small baby. It was barely visible, but Richie could make out the dark mop of hair it had and the undeniably peaceful expression on its face.

“You brought me down here to tell me Myra dyes her hair?”

“That’s not Myra. These portraits were all created just before the division between Isle and Auradon, before Myra was born. That is Rapunzel and Eugene’s son, Orion. He was stolen on the day of the division, his crib left with a note that Rapunzel was the one to blame for his disappearance, a ”little thank you” for taking away her only chance to live. She knew that Orion had the ability to heal just as Rapunzel had, and thought that she could use him for his power. But magic doesn’t work on the Isle, and true villains don’t age there, facts she must have learned quickly, because before Rapunzel and the guards arrived at her assigned house on the Isle, she told them that they would find Orion in the sea that divided us,” Eddie was choking back tears as he stared at the portrait, moving in closer and closer to Richie as the tale went on, “that’s why she’s evil. Why she the...the worst vil...who could do that to an innocent child? I...I need air, let’s go...t-to the garden.”

Either the garden was larger than Richie knew it to be or they had walked in a circle, because they were back to the place in the garden where Eddie first showed his feelings for Richie, across from that damned flower. Eddie stood while Richie sat, the former dragging in deep breaths as the wind chilled his tears.

“God, Richie. How is she here? How did she get out? Why did she...”

Eddie stopped, suddenly ramrod straight as his eyes met the thing that plagued Richie’s mind. 

The sun drop.

“Richie, why did she say “do what you came here to do and go get that flower”? Why did she say that, Chee?” His hands were curling up, clenching into fists as Eddie faced a million realizations at once. “Why did she say that to you?!” He whirled around, storming up to Richie with fire in his eyes. His voice was wavering and Richie could see the way he was beginning to tear up.

“Eddie, I can explai-“

“You...you used me, and I fell for it.”

“No, Eds, baby, that’s not it!”

“I fell in love with you...and you used me!”

Richie stood to match Eddie’s stance, reaching out to touch him only to have his hand slapped away like it burned.

“You used me to get that fucking flower!”

“Eddie, please calm down, let me explain. I love y-“

“Don’t.”

There was a chill in Eddie’s voice that Richie had never heard before. The chill of a King’s voice sentencing a villain. 

It scared him.

“Guards!” Three of the royal Guard appeared at the sound of Eddie’s voice. “Ensure that neither Richard nor any Isle of the Lost student enters this garden.”

They grabbed Richie roughly by the shoulders. 

Eddie wouldn’t look at him.

All Richie could catch was softest of whispers muffled by tears.

“My parents were right. Villains never change.”


	8. The Coronation

Richie hadn’t seen Eddie since he found out about the original plan, but it was finally coronation day, and the entire kingdom was going, villain kids included.

Bev had been working on their outfits since they came to Auradon and Ben had gotten her one of the best sewing machines money could buy.

And Richie...well...

“I look like a male stripper.”

“You do not! You look hot, which is exactly what you need to get your man back.”

Richie let out a dry laugh letting his eyes run over the outfit in the mirror. The base of the outfit was deep red, with a v-neck that plunged halfway down his chest and skin tight pants. The puffy sleeves went to his wrists but might as well have not been there at all as they were completely mesh and a matching mesh cape sewed onto the shirt’s waist flowed over the entire lower half of the outfit. 

“Bev, an outfit isn’t going to get Eddie back. He thinks I’m still working with my mother, the only reason I’m not back on the Isle right now is because...well...I don’t know but he doesn’t trust me!”

“You’re not back on the Isle because Eddie cares about you. Feelings don’t go away overnight.” Bev quickly stitched something together on his outfit, smiling at her handiwork.

“Speaking of feelings, how’s Bill? I feel like I never see him anymore cause he’s always with Stan.”

“They’re good. Bill really likes it here, and Stan offered to host him if he’s able to stay, but they’re both scared that as soon as the coronation’s over, we’ll all be shipped back over the ocean.”

“And what about you?”

Bev hesitated, but a small smile and a soft blush formed on her cheeks. “Bells and I are fine. He’s...he’s so sweet and...crazy for me. I never thought I’d have something like that.”

Richie laughed, his smile slowly falling away as he looked down at his hands.

“Me neither.”

•••••

The coronation was an extremely elaborate affair. Everyone was dressed to the nines, including the villain kids. Bev was wearing a black ball gown with accents of red roses and a large red heart that used her neckline to form the top of the shape. Mike was dressed in an electric blue and lavender suit that he somehow managed to pull off. Bill was clad in a formal black suit with icy blue and fiery orange accents that wove together and matched Stan’s suit of a relatively similar design. Stan had graciously asked Bev to design his outfit and she accepted immediately, saying she already knew what to do, and the combined Arendelle and Southern Isles emblems that were embroidered onto each boy’s pocket tied them together.

Richie, well, Richie had his stripper outfit.

He felt the stares, whether they were because of the outfit or the fact that he was a villain kid, he wasn’t sure. Either way, Richie attempted to brush them off and found his seat with the rest of the Auradon Prep kids. 

When Eddie walked in, Richie tried not to get lost in the way his suit clung perfectly to his narrow waist and god, his ass in those pants-

Focus Richie.

Security was doubled for the event, but something seemed...off. All of the guards...guards were down? Richie’s eyes jumped to Eddie only to see him completely frozen. He went to the villain kids and found the exact same thing.

Quickly, Richie stood, moving out to the aisle before a chilling sound rippled through the ballroom.

“Oh, darling, isn’t this magnificent? Look at them all, frozen in time, stuck,” Gothel appeared at the altar before him, “and ripe for the picking...” she stepped up to Eddie and ran a hand down his arm.

“Don’t touch him.” 

She let out one of her cold laughs. The echoes made his skin crawl.

“That’s right, this is your little prince, isn’t he? Well, then I know how to make this a bit more fun.”

Gothel pulled Fairy Godmother’s wand out from her cape, and pushed over the glass container holding what was apparently a fake. She waved it quickly over Eddie’s head and the boy started moving again, falling to the ground and glancing around before his eyes landed on Richie.

“Chee, what’s happening?”

“Exactly, “Chee”, tell him what’s happening!”

“Please...please don’t hurt him mother, I’ll do anything. Just don’t...don’t hurt him.”

Eddie moved to stand, but was quickly interrupted by Gothel pointing the wand directly at his chest. She looked away from Eddie to stare Richie down. 

“Oh that’s so cute, darling! You think that begging works with me! Not anymore, I’ve been tricked before. Lover boy will be the first of this godforsaken family to fall.”

There was a flash.

A gasp.

A scream.

Richie was holding Eddie in his arms, the boy grappling for a panicked breath and holding on tightly to Richie’s arms.

And Richie had the wand.

“Stay back, Gothel!”

“Or what, child? You don’t have the gall to strike me.”

Richie turned his eyes away as the wand went off again, pushing Gothel away and returning her to the state she had come to Auradon in; a bug.

Richie took a few quick breaths before his gaze returned to Eddie, whose own breathing had begun to slow as the world came back to life around them.

A few gasps filled the room as well as two crying screams from Ariel and Eric. Bill, Bev, and Mike crowded around the pair.

“Eddie?! Eds, baby, come one, wake up! They need you! _I_ need you! Come on, open your eyes!”

Bev’s hand found its way to Richie’s shoulder.

“Honey...he’s gone.”

“No. No! _No!_ ” Richie screamed, sobbing into the soft blue fabric of Eddie’s suit, “I never...why didn’t you let me tell you I loved you? You were so focused on...”

_ Orion was Rapunzel’s son. _

_ Orion was taken by Gothel. _

_ Stolen on the day of the division. _

_ Magic doesn’t work on the Isle. _

There had always been a disconnect. Something that didn’t seem right. 

Something about Auradon that felt more like home than anything else.

Richie stared down at Eddie and carefully lifted his hand so that it rested against his hair. He barely heard Bill talking to him.

“Richie, what are you-“

“Please work.”

_ Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine, make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine.  _

Richie heard the shock float around the room. The dark curls that Richie was known for began to glow, starting from the roots and the gold traveling down until all of his hair was turning golden. His hair grew a few inches in length as he sang, and the area surrounding the pair pulsed with magic. 

_ Heal what has been hurt, change the fates’ design, save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine.  _

Eddie’s color was returning to his cheeks. The wound over his heart from where the wand’s power tore through skin began to knit itself together. His chest rose and fell with breath, and Richie could feel the hot tears streaming down his cheeks.

_ What once was mine. _

“Chee?”


	9. The Aftermath

“Eddie?! Oh my god, it worked! It worked! It...It worked...holy shit.”

Eddie laughed softly and Richie watched the way his eyes shifted to travel down his hair while his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Chee your...your hair.”

“What about it?” Richie reached up to thread his fingers through his suddenly longer locks.

“You...you look like you got a really bad dye job.”

Eddie was completely right as always. From what Richie could tell, his hair came the whole way down to his shoulders now and about halfway through, switched from a bright blonde to his usual black, but even that appeared to be more of a dark brown now.

“I’m sorry, I just saved your life and that’s the first thing you say to me?!”

“Well what did you want from me?!”

“Truthfully I was expecting a kiss!”

“Good, then kiss me!”

“Gladly!”

Eddie lunged at him, draping his arms around Richie’s neck. The kiss was only slightly awkward as they both smiled into it, Richie in awe of the fact that Eddie was alright, and Eddie unbelievably proud that the boy he loved had chosen good after all. The roaring cheers of the coronation guests rang loudly in Richie’s ears. But over all of that noise, only one voice mattered.

“Richie, I’m so sorry that I thought you would stand with your mo...uh...Gothel. I just...when she said that, I thought ‘of course it’s too good to be true. Of course the only person I’ve ever loved would turn against me.’ It’s not an excuse but...I’m sorry.”

Richie paused for a moment, smiling down at Eddie.

“You love me?”

“That’s what you got from all of that?”

“Hush, I wanna be mushy and romantic for a second,” he raised a hand, holding it against Eddie’s cheek and letting his thumb move slowly over the skin, “when you were gone, when you hated me, it hurt so much. I felt like...like that was my one chance at happiness and I threw it away. As if I had lost my...”

“My happily ever after?”

The pair embraced, keeping each other as close as possible after everything that had occurred. There was a sudden pressure on his back, and when Richie looked back, he saw Bev, Mike, and Bill holding him tightly as well. A slight jolt forward and a glance over Eddie’s shoulder informed Richie that Stan and Ben had joined them, too. Only five days and these two groups of friends had found each other, rewritten their own stories, and started new lives together. It was the most tender moment of Richie’s life, andMike was the one who finally spoke up.

“Wait. Rich, you healed Eddie with the healing incantation. The only way you could do that is if you were-“

“Orion?”

All seven sets of eyes turned to face the three that stood before them. One a very obviously displeased Myra, one a tall, thin man with brown hair that seemed to be starting a salt and pepper look, and the last, knelt down in front of Richie, with golden hair that was braided back in puffed twists and twirls that resembled controlled chaos. Her eyes were wide and pleading, shining with unshed tears. 

“It’s...It’s Richie, actually. Not...Orion.”

Rapunzel laughed softly, her face lighting up in a smile as tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Richie, then. Oh...my son.” She wrapped him tightly in a hug, pulling him closer as his friends started to help each other up from the floor and Eddie spoke to his parents about the situation. Richie couldn’t believe it. This is what it felt like to be wanted. To be loved. He had never had the connection with Gothel in seventeen years that he had with Rapunzel seventeen seconds after meeting her. 

“Welcome home, baby...we have so much to catch you up on.” 

•••••

Richie’s pretty sure that being very obviously in love with your sister’s ex-boyfriend isn’t the best way to start a sibling relationship.

Myra didn’t accept him into the family as warmly as Rapunzel and Eugene had. It would’ve been hard enough when she just hated him, but combined with the fact that he and a Eddie were all over each other...did not bode well for them.

She attempted to ignore him as much as she could, but as all of Auradon was mid-celebration of his return, he was someone who was hard to get away from. 

He was escaping his newfound paparazzi when he found her in the garden. 

She was curled up on one of the benches, tucked away into a corner that was relatively overgrown compared to the rest of the garden. Richie could hear her crying. She sniffled once, then cast her gaze up to Richie.

“I really can’t get away from you for a second, huh?”

“I’m sorry, Myra, I can lea-“

“No. Come sit. We have to do this sometime.”

Richie’s feet felt like they were made of lead as he marched over to Myra, sitting on the edge of the bench and trying to give her as much space as possible. She wiped away her tears, leaving smudges of dark makeup on her face, yet not even glancing at Richie.

“Do you know how it feels? To watch someone who is the exact opposite of everything you are waltz into your life and take everything from you? I do. It’s what you did.”

“Myra, I-“

“Don’t start. Just listen. When you stepped out of the limo? On that first day? I watched him look at you, and the way he looked at you was something I’d never seen. He had never looked at me that way. I know, we were arranged to be together by our parents, but I had always thought that maybe...maybe we could find something real in all the fake? ...I guess I was wrong. I was fine with him choosing you over me. I expected it, even if it hurt. But...But then you were Orion. Then the prodigal son returned. And they loved you. They knew you for all of two minutes but they still loved you. They...They forgot I existed.” 

She was crying, and Richie was watching her mask break. Myra was breaking down, and...and it was Richie’s fault.

“It’s enough to mean nothing to your boyfriend, but your parents, too? The people who are supposed to love you unconditionally? I lost them. Since you healed Eddie, I’ve had no one. You...you even have the healing power and I...I don’t.”

Richie didn’t know what came over him but...he felt himself reaching forward, wrapping his arms around the girl, holding her against his chest and smoothing out the fly-aways on the top of her head. 

Myra stopped crying.

“I know you didn’t ask for me. I know I’m messing up your life. But all I’m asking for is a chance. A chance to be your brother. A chance to be a family. I...I don’t know what having a family is like. I would’ve preferred to not start like this but...I want to try, Myra.”

When he felt the comforting pressure of arms around his waist, Richie smiled.

“I think I can do that.”

It wasn’t perfect, nothing ever was or would be. Yzma was still out there. Richie had to learn to lead a life he’d been opposing for almost two decades. Eddie was a new king. This was nothing close to a happily ever after.

But Richie loved his new story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has followed this story so far! I loved all of your comments, your kudos, and am deeply appreciative of the love you guys have given this off the wall fic!


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